Effect of cultivation of sugarcane on soil bulk density and soil water content

The study was carried out in a high yielding field (HYF) and a lower yielding field (LYF). Soil samples were collected in an increment of 15 cm down to 75 cm during the growing season (moist) and after harvest (dry) and from a virgin site. The bulk densities (BD) of LYF under the ridge are higher than those of HYF whereas the BD under the furrow in HYF are higher than those of the LYF The study shows that under dry soil conditions the BD values under the ridge are lower than those of the virgin land in the top 30 cm whereas below 30 em the BD of the cultivated land are higher than those of the virgin land. Under moist soil conditions and below 15 cm, BD under the ridge of cultivated land are lower than those of the virgin land. Under furrow BD of cultivated land are lower than those of the virgin land. Available water capacity of the cultivated land is about 12% while that of the virgin land is 19%. Soil moisture curves show some variability in water retention of these two fields while in virgin land the curves cluster around a narrow range for any pF level reflecting uniformity of pore size. (Résumé d'auteur